Amsterdam Historical Museum

From a humble 13th-century fishing village to the world's wealthiest city -
Amsterdam has a fascinating story to tell - and its Historical Museum is the
best place to hear it. Situated near Dam Square, in the heart of the old
town, it's within easy reach of many top attractions and should be a
prerequisite to visiting any of them.

The museum moved to its current location (the former City Orphanage) in
1975, when Amsterdam celebrated its 700th anniversary. The building's
beautifully restored 17th-century rooms and courtyards contrast well with a
plethora of sleek state-of-the-art exhibits that retell the city's past
stage by stage.

One such audio-visual programme, available in both Dutch and
English, recalls how the construction of the original settlement of
Amstelredam became possible due to natural flooding that drastically
altered the once barren local landscape. Migrants harnessed this change with
the introductions of dams to specific waterways (Amsterdam itself simply
means The dam on the River Amstel and soon a burgeoning new port was
taking shape.

City status was granted in 1300 and a prosperous era in trade
ensued. Much of the museum focuses particularly on this Golden Age, which
reached its zenith in the 1600s, and the extravagant goods that once passed
hands at the docks. Other top interactive presentations include five
speaking dollhouses that narrate tales of daily life throughout the
centuries, and a virtual ride through the city's streets aboard a white
car (a widely-touted 1960's solution to environmental issues that never
quite got running).

Since 1926, the museum also became a centre for art, inheriting collections
from various galleries across the city. Today, many of its 45,000 items are
creative pieces, including works by a gamut of regional artists, from the
relatively obscure, to the Dutch masters of Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Immense
portraits along the vast corridor of the Civic Guard Gallery ensure that
local militiamen are still doing their job of casting a suspicious eye on
all who pass.

Also literally unmissable are the statues of David and
Goliath, housed in the museum's cafe-restaurant. Salvaged from a now extinct
amusement garden in the 19th century, they make for interesting lunch mates,
especially as the latter of the two stands at over 16 ft tall. Remember to
glance skywards while in the Regents' Chamber to see the museum's oldest
acquisition - its spectacular 1656 ceiling painting.

Archaeology forms another large proportion of the collection. Notable items
discovered in the immediate vicinity include toys, tools, jewellery and even
a pair of 13th-century shoes. The "Miracle of Amsterdam" is also covered in
great detail. This legendary event occurred in 1345, when a dying man was
given his last rites. Hours later, he regurgitated the sacrament wafer,
which remained in perfect condition. The wafer was returned to the church in
an official procession and the Bishop Jan van Arkel declared it a miracle.

The city subsequently became a pilgrimage site for thousands of Christians,
and ever since, many finds belonging to the travellers have been unearthed.
One of the most intriguing is a statue of the Virgin Mary, which was found
buried in a coffin during excavations in a graveyard.